An independent manifestation of the activity of the baby becomes noticeable at about two months of age. The first signs of a child’s mobility are associated with attempts to turn the head and hold it at least for a while. Having managed to cope with this task, the baby develops activity and begins to master more complex movements. But if at 2-3 months the child does not try to become independent, the parents begin to worry. To remove all disturbing thoughts, you need to find out when the children begin to roll over.
When does the baby begin to roll over?
First of all, parents need to learn that they do not need to adjust the child to the norms. Each kid is individual. Therefore, at what time the child begins to roll over on his side or tummy, it is impossible to determine exactly.
Each child develops at a different speed: children with a developed muscular system become mobile much earlier than babies, whose neuromuscular system is late in development. From the 3rd to the 8th month, the development of coups is a normal phenomenon.
For parents, it’s a great joy when the children start rolling over. There is no point in worrying if the baby is not yet turning on its side or tummy at the age of 5 months. It only speaks of the fatness and calm nature of the baby. To be more active, parents need help. They should try to create situations that will force the baby to involuntarily turn his head or make every effort to turn in the direction that interests him.
Often children skip the rolling period. This is not a cause for concern, and it is not worthwhile to force him to move, since premature sitting of a child or accustoming to a change in posture will lead to a violation of the musculoskeletal system.
How to help your baby master turning over?
After mastering the retention of the head, the stage begins when the child begins to roll over on his side or tummy. Parents should be very careful about this period.
To help their baby, they try to develop his chest, do various massages. They are doing the right thing. All pediatricians unanimously claim that exercises with turning over from the back to the side or tummy can be added to the gymnastics of the baby. In order to easily flip the child during exercise, you need:
- Put it on your back.
- Gently stroking, straighten the handles.
- Take the right handle, move it to the side (left) so that it is on the left side.
- Repeat the same with your left hand.
This gymnastics strengthens the muscles of the arms and back.
The following exercise is about turning over:
- The kid should lie on his back.
- The left leg is straightened, with the right hand, mom grabs the right leg.
- The right leg must be moved so that it overlaps the left, while the baby must instinctively roll over on its side.
- Do the same with the left foot.
After a series of the above exercises, parents need to track when the child begins to roll from the back to the left or right side, how often he does it.
Tummy tipping
After three months, a normally developing child takes active steps, trying to turn on his stomach. This is harder to do than switch to the left or right side. During this period, the baby may suddenly begin to roll sharply on its side, trying to get on its stomach.
At about 4-5 months old, children are already skillfully turning the body from the back to the stomach. Once in this position, they instinctively try to hold their head tight. This helps strengthen the cervical muscles. When the children begin to roll over from the abdomen to the back and back, the reflex of holding the head up is triggered. This is called the instinct of self-preservation.
Cause for concern
Knowing specifically what time the children begin to roll over on their stomachs, we can follow the dynamics of the development of the child. When time passes quickly, and the baby does not try to roll over, he requires a more careful attitude, and if necessary, the advice of a pediatrician.
If in the period from 4 to 6 months the baby does not make an attempt to roll over, you must definitely find out the reason for his passive behavior. First of all, the baby needs to be examined by a neurologist. If a problem is detected, the doctor prescribes therapeutic swimming, massage.
The need for wellness gymnastics
Exercise is necessary to strengthen the musculoskeletal system, the development of the nervous system. This will help the baby gain activity, learn to perform simple movements himself. Thanks to recreational gymnastics, babies develop skills to change the body posture, turn over to the tummy, barrel or back.
When children begin to roll over, they should use both sides. One side flips can adversely affect the baby’s spine. The symmetry of the vertebrae may be disturbed, and this is detrimental to the muscles of the back. To practice two-sided turning, you need to use your favorite baby toys.
It is not recommended to do exercises if the child is not in the mood or during execution he begins to act up for no reason. Perhaps some movement hurts him. The cause of the whim is often hunger. In such cases, gymnastics will not lead to recovery.
You also need to take into account that each child has an individual organism and character. It is a mistake to demand from the baby that which he is not used to and is not ready for. If gymnastics causes negative feelings in a child, it is necessary to suspend classes and get along with massage and light baths.
Turning the baby on his back
The activity of the child, starting from two months, is a very important aspect in its development. If you adhere to the calendar, which is used in pediatrics, the child must first make flips from the back to one and the other side. According to the norms, this falls on the 3-4th month of the baby’s life.
A month later, he begins to roll from side to tummy. After two difficult stages are completed, it remains to learn to take a starting position (lie on your back).
In pediatrics, conditional norms have been established at what time the child begins to roll over on his back. It is impossible to say exactly at what age this process occurs, but at about 6-7 months the baby should already be able to roll from the tummy to the back. If the baby can’t turn on his back at the set time, this only indicates a slower pace of his development. Look for pathology in the behavior of the baby is not necessary. We must not forget that children owe nothing to anyone. Even at such a tiny age, they can be said to decide for themselves how to act.
Why doesn't the baby roll over from the belly to the back?
Sometimes the delay in activity is associated with the health of the baby. For example, decreased muscle tone (hypotension) is a very common disease in children today. At a time when children begin to roll over on their backs, many of them show drowsiness, physical weakness, and lack of appetite. These symptoms occur in children with neuromuscular abnormalities. Often passivity is manifested due to phlegmatism.
It is much easier for a baby to turn from his back to his side or to his stomach, than to return to the initial position. Therefore, the transition from the abdomen to the back is the last stage in the development of children's activity. For this action they need extra effort. This means that the baby must have a strong neuromuscular system.
The weight of the child must also be considered. Usually, overweight children are slow, have excessive calmness, respectively, the activity in their movements is significantly different from the activity of children with normal weight.
How does the course of pregnancy affect the activity of the baby?
Of great importance for the active development of the baby is the condition of the future mother during pregnancy. If it proceeds with complications or for any reason the baby is born earlier than the due date, he will definitely lag behind normally born children in development. Accordingly, the baby is not able to show timely activity in turning on its side, tummy or, conversely, on the back. How much children begin to roll over if they are born with problems depends on their postpartum state.
Do not forget that in many cases, prematurely born children aged 2-3 months show hyperactivity, significantly ahead of their peers. It is expected that at 2 months such a baby will begin to turn on the right or left side, without making much effort.
Rules for Parents
To help, when the children begin to roll over, you must follow some rules:
- You never need to compare your baby with other children. It is important to know that each child develops individually.
- Parents must remain calm and show great patience, do not make sudden movements during class so that the baby does not get scared.
- You need to give him time to try to roll over on his side or on his tummy, then return to its original position. It is important that he is in the safest possible place during active operations.
Useful Tips
When the child has already learned to roll over on his own, you need to seriously think about his safety. During his active games, you need to make sure that he is in the arena or on the carpet, from where he will not be able to fall.
It is also necessary to ensure that the baby does not make sudden movements during gymnastics. He may roll over unsuccessfully, which will seem difficult to him, and he will no longer wish to return to this exercise. You should not force the child to do what he voluntarily refused.
The kid should gladly take up gymnastics. Only in this case can he enjoy the lessons. He must be encouraged, praised for every successful coup without any help. Classes with the child, training and the right approach during classes with him have a positive effect not only on his musculoskeletal system, but also on the mood in which he will stay throughout the day.